February 10 is day 48 of the Gregorian Calendar year,
Pungenday, Chaos 48, 3186 YOLD (Discordian)
And let us not forget 13.0.7.4.14 by the Mayan Long Count

Something/Someone Old

Hey all. Taken by a Tulsi signature collector.

Early start.
Wanted to get this in before the good stuff rolls out
from your instafilm units.

This is our weekly peace vigil.
I'm the clown of the right trying
to unfurl my flags.

The opioid addiction is not a problem originating in the poor. One needs funds to develop a habit. It is a path to poverty that many individuals and their families have traveled.

The opioid overdose and addiction problem is not because people are in despair and communities hopeless. The safety net government and healthcare professionals built up over decades was destroyed for profit. Individuals were unaware of the dangers of the drugs they were prescribed. Healthcare professionals were reeducated, prompted and enforced to provide opioids for pain relief. Then after public outcry became loud enough they were reeducated, prompted and enforced to provide alternatives to opioids for pain relief. Many individuals who now have lifelong physical dependency and new health problems were abruptly denied prescription drugs or at minimum insurance coverage of the medications. Illicit use of opioid products increased with all the associated societal problems.

watch 3:21 to 9:34

The last few days have been spent up at UCSC at the student strike in support of the TA cola4all strike [cost of living].

Today there were close to 1K students in the middle of the street blocking the entrance.